Sunday, August 14, 2011

Booster Gold #47

It's funny that Booster Gold often takes part in pivotal moments in DC history, but never really benefits from it.

A clever concept created (and often drawn by) Dan Jurgens, Booster is a man from the future who steals some futuristic tech and travels to modern times, where (he reasons) he can use his "abilities" to become a hero. First he has to overcome his own failings - narcissism and cockiness, to name two.

He did this in his original series, which also featured the first "guest star" appearance of the "new" Superman, right on the heels of John Byrne's reboot of the character in the Man of Steel mini-series.

But that didn't save Booster from cancellation. He's been a member of the Justice League, and he was one of the pivotal heroes in the weekly 52 comic - and he saved the multiverse, though no one knows it.

He returned to his own comic about four years ago, and it focused on his efforts to repair problems in the time stream - again, he got (almost) no credit for his work.

But here we come to the end of the road for Booster, as this is the last issue in the series (though don't worry, he'll appear in one of the new Justice League titles).

Sadly, he ends his run with a whimper, not a bang. Other than the Flash, Booster is the only hero who realizes that the Flashpoint reality is the wrong one.

So for several issues he fights Doomsday, works with a newly-created hero, seeks out the Flash - and then the story just crashes to a halt, with an ending that (while fitting in a way) is ultimately a cheat on the reader.

And this is why this comic never quite made it - the hero is tentative, his accomplishments are hidden (or cease to exist), which undercuts his heroism, and he's treated as a joke by the other heroes - not an equal. If they don't respect him, how can we?

It's a shame, because the character has great potential - but it hasn't been realized yet.

Nice art, though.

Grade: B-


No comments: